'Women No Longer Safe': Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav Targets BJP After Mahua Moitra Faces 'Chor' Chants Aboard Flight

Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the BJP after Mahua Moitra was heckled aboard an IndiGo flight with "Chor" chants by a fellow passenger. Following the incident, Yadav accused the ruling party of fostering a misogynistic and patriarchal political culture.

In his post on social media platform X, Yadav said that under the BJP's rule, women no longer feel safe even while travelling on public transport, including airplanes. He said that the behaviour displayed by some BJP supporters reflected a "misogynistic mindset" that insulted and intimidated women in public spaces.

The Samajwadi Party leader further stated that BJP members should understand how such behaviour would feel if directed at women from their own families. He also described the conduct of the passenger on the plane as "contemptible" and said even harsh words would fall short in condemning it.

The remarks came after Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra was heckled with "Chor, Chor" slogans by a fellow traveller on an IndiGo flight. The incident took place following the BJP's strong performance in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly Elections, in which the party successfully ousted the TMC from power.

TMC MP Mahua Moitra on Thursday claimed she was harassed by a group of 4-6 men aboard an IndiGo flight while travelling to attend a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence.

In a post on X, Moitra alleged that she was seated in 1F on flight 6E 719 when the group boarded the aircraft, stared at her inappropriately, and later moved towards the rear section of the plane. She further claimed that after landing, but before the aircraft doors opened, the men shouted slogans and recorded videos of the incident.

A video circulating online allegedly captured some passengers raising “Jai Shri Ram” slogans and referring to the TMC and its supporters as “chor” (thieves).

Calling for strict action, Moitra said the episode was not an expression of “citizen anger” but amounted to harassment that compromised her safety onboard the aircraft. She urged IndiGo to identify the passengers through the crew report, publicly disclose their identities, and place them on a no-fly list. She also tagged Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, seeking his intervention.